Lawn-mower.



. Patented Dec. I6, 1902. C. ZICKLER. l

-(Nu Model.)

cams PETcns 6o. mmc-umd., WASHINGTON u c CHRISTOPHER ZICKLER, PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAWN-MOWER.

SFECIICAT forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,164, dated December 16, 1902.

l Application led June 24, 1902.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern: A a

Be it known that I, CHRIS'TQQPHER ZICKLER, a citizen ofthe United Statesof America, and aresidentof Pittsfield,`in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lawn-Mowers, of which'the following is a' full, clear, and exact description. a

This invention relates to improvements in lawn-mowers of the classin `which there is comprised in the machine a reciprocating cutter-bar, the movement of which isproduced from the rotation of the traction-roller of the machine. j

The features of Vimprovement `particularly consist in specific arrangements of the drivinggearing and ball-bearings therefor and means for adjusting the` bearings, means of adjustment of fthe cutter-baar support relatively to the cutte r-bar,(the cutter-bar may work with all required freedom and yet with sufficient closeness and accuracy for best results,) and generally to improved and speciiic devices, as will hereinafter appear, and be set forth in the claims. v

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,.in whichj Figure 1 is a partial horizontal sectional and partial plan view of the improved lawn-mower. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View on line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view in detail on line '3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4E is a side view ofthe pitman-rod employed in the driving connection.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, A A represent the side members of the machine-frame, transversely united by the iixed shaft B and the normally stationary bar C at the 'forward portion of the frame, which latter bar constitutes the, base member on and with `which the cutterbar E cooperates'.

The cutter-,bar has at its ends the narrow@J j extensions ct ct, which play through apertures b b in the side members, the walls of said apertures serving as guides for the said cutter-bar extensions.

The traction-rollerD rotates about the fixed `shaft B, ball-bearings being interposed be- Serial No. 112,967. (No model.)

tween the said shaft and the hubs d d of the traction-roller, which are loose relatively to the shaft.

The spokes e e, which unite the roller and its hubs, are constituted by screw-rods, the inner extremities of which are threaded and screw-engaged in threaded radial `sockets in the hubs, the heads or enlargements eI2 being seated in outwardly-opening countersunk sockets in the roller.

The screw-rods have their heads slotted, so that by individually turning the rods the central hubs may be brought to adjustment in axial alinement within the roller.

The outer end portions of the hubs have comparatively deep cup-shaped sockets f to constitute raceways for the balls g, which are comprised between the internal surfaces within the hubs and the cones k71, h2.

y The one end cone h2 screw-engages the correspondingly-threaded extremity 72,3 of the lshaft B and is adjustable in the usual way.

. The cone h is shown as one cone member of a double-cone hub h h for the gear-wheel t', the outer cone portion h4 of which sets somewhat deeply into the socketed part j, which is of corresponding form to the adjacent deeply-socketed nub for the roller. This latter part j ris screw-threaded on the end portion h5 of the shaft, and its construction and relative arrangement are such that theadj ustment for al1 of the three sets of ball-bearings shown may be effected by rotating the partj, it being understood that the gear-wheel is loose on the shaft B and may have a slight endwise motion along it, as well as a rotatable motion thereon in one direction', the usual provision of ratchet-teeth at lo on the hub of the roller and the pawl m, pivotally mounted on the face of the gear-wheel al, preventing the rotational movement of the gear-wheel independently of the shaft when theroller is run forwardly, as common in` lawn-mowers,

`wherein it is required that the forward rolling of the traction-roller will correspondingly rotationally drive the f gear-.wheel and `through intervening mechanism the cutter.

Zrepresents a lock-nut for confining the bearings in their adjustment.

The construction of the gear-wheel i with IOO double cone-shaped hubs, one of which sets into the deeply-socketed'adjustable ball-race member j, conduces to extreme practicability and easy running of the driving mechanism for the cutter, and the deep ball-races enveloping the cones and interposed balls serve as guards for the exclusion of grass and dirt from the bearings.

The cutter-bar, as before mentioned, has at its ends the narrowed extensions 01 which play with a close yet free fit through the apertures a a in the side members A A, the cutter-bar being supported upon the normally stationary horizontal transverse bar C, and in order to afford the adequate means of guidance to the cutter-bar and stability thereof in its reciprocatory movements the side members A A are constructed with the inwardlyextending horizontal lugs or brackets n n, which havewithin their thickness the downwardly-open guideways n2. (See Fig. 3.)

As it is desired that the forwardly-extending prongs o o of the cutter-bar shall at all times work in the proper shearing proximity to the prongsp of the stationary bar C, provision is made for the adjustment in a vertical direction of said bar C, the same consisting in having at each end portion of the bar the rearwardly-disposed supporting-screw q, which passes loosely through a hole in the bar and with a screw engagement upwardly into the bracket n, the head of the screw having a supporting-bearing under and against the bar, and the forwardly-disposed screw r' is similarly applied and, moreover, has a spiral spring s surrounding it and interposed between the two bars, so as to react downwardly against the bar C, with a tendency to force and maintain it away from the under surface of the cutter-bar and its prongs, and yet permit by the setting up of the duplicated screw r the maintenance of the lower bar C in its most advantageous position or working relation to the cutter-bar. The rear screws q serve as fulcrums, from which the bar C has the slight degree of vertical swinging motion.

The cutter-bar is reciprocated from the forward rotations of the gear-wheel t' through the shaft G, which has the gear-wheel sxed thereon and which meshes into the gearwheel t', and which shaft has the crank member to which the pitman-rod u is connected, the latter being by its opposite end connected to the central portion of the cutter-bar.

The pitman-rod is shown in Fig. 4 as of a bowed form, whereby to obstruct as little as possible the passage of the clipped grass back of the cutter-bar as the lawn mower proi gresses. There is a comparatively large rectangular space between the cutters and the traction-roller, in which may be set a pan or receptacle to catch the clipped grass, the lugs fu v, which are shown-extending inwardly horizontally from the lower portions of the side members A A, serving as simple yet practicable means for the support of the grass-receiving pan.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a lawn-mower, a traction-roller comprising the roller proper, the hubs, having screw-tapped radial sockets, and the spokes having threaded inner extremities screw-engaging in said sockets and having slotted heads, setting in countersunk sockets which are provided within the outer surface of the roller.

2. In a lawn-mower the combination with the side members A A and the fixed shaft B having the screw-threaded end portion h5 of the roller having the hubs d d provided with the deep ball-race sockets, the cone h2 and the balls, the gear-wheel t' having the doublecone-ended hub, one cone member protruding into the adjacent ball-race of the rollerhub, the socketed ball-race member j screwengaging the threaded portion of the shaft and having an iuclosing relation to the outwardlyprotruding cone-hub of the gearwheel, the balls between the gear-cones and the adjacent roller-hub and the said part j, the lock-nut l, the cutter-bar, and driving connections between said gear-wheel and the cutter-bar substantially as described and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a lawn-mower the combination with the side members having the apertures b b therethrough and the inwardlyextending brackets n n having at their under sides the recesses n2, of the normally stationary transverse bar C having the cutter members p, the cutter-bar C. having the end extensions a a arranged for guidance in said recesses n2 and to play through said apertures b, and having the cutter members o, and means for reciproeating the cutter-bar.

4;. In a lawn-mower the combination with the side members A` A having at their forward inner lower portions the brackets n constructed with the under side transverse guiderecesses n2, and the said side members having the apertures b, of the normally stationary horizontal transverse bar C the end portions of which are disposed closely under said brackets, the rearwardly-disposed screws q q having their heads against the lower surface of the bar and having their shanks extended loosely through the bar and with a screw engagement into the brackets, and the similarly-engaged forwardly-disposed screws r and springs s applied between the brackets and said bar exerting a downward pressure on the latter, the cutter-bar E reciprocating upon said bar C and having the end extensions a, a guided in said recesses n2 and playing through said apertures b, and means for reciprocating the cutter-bar, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a lawn-mower,in combination,the bar IOO IIO

C and the cntter-bar transversely arranged Signed by me at Pittsfleld, Massachusetts, at the front,and the rearwardly-disposed tracin the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

tion-roller the side members `A A havin@` at l their lowei1 inner portions the inwardly ex- CHRISTOPHER' ZICKLER 5 tending lugs v fu, and means provided be- Witnesses:

tween the traction-roller and the cutter-bnr GEO. Gr. WOLLISON,

for reciprocating the latter. MANSON R. WHITE. 

